Designing a Solar Cooker

Student Guide

Assignment Summary
For this assignment, you will research how to design and build a solar cooker. To prepare, you will search
reliable online sites for “solar cookers.” After getting the materials you need from your teacher, you will
present your initial design as a drawing or illustration. You will then build your device and test its efficiency
by warming up a hot dog until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, recording how long it took you
to reach this temperature for three trials. You will calculate the rate of heating per minute and share your
data with the class. You will analyze the data to determine the similarities and differences among the
several designs to identify the best characteristics of each. You will use your data and that of your class to
propose the final design of your solar cooker. You will then present your final design and the logic that
supports it in a lab report. Your lab report should include a title, a list of materials that you used to build
your solar cooker, a drawing of your initial design, observations from your experimental tests,
recommendations for a final design based on what you know about radiation, a drawing of your final
design, and the results of the efficiency test. To help you write your lab report, there is a Student
Worksheet on the last few pages of this document.

Background Information

To warm up and cook food, heat is required. Heat is the thermal energy that flows from one substance to
another because of a temperature difference. The Sun’s rays transfer its thermal energy to Earth. Your
goal is to focus and trap these rays to warm up a hot dog. You will do this by applying what you know
about thermal energy. Objects can absorb or reflect thermal energy. Absorption occurs when an object’s
surface takes in thermal energy, while reflection is thermal energy bouncing off as the Sun’s rays hit the
object’s surface. Two factors that affect the absorption and reflection of thermal energy are the color and
texture of the object’s surface. Dark colors absorb more thermal energy than light colors, and smooth
surfaces reflect more thermal energy than rough surfaces. Consider these factors as you build your
device. This is an engineering challenge because it combines physics principles with real building
materials and design constraints. It provides you with the opportunity to think about a problem, construct a
solution, and evaluate your solution’s effectiveness.

Safety

 A solar cooker is like the stove or oven in your home, so be careful in your actions to keep yourself
and the people around you safe.
 Avoid looking directly into the solar cooker to protect your eyes from the radiation that will be
reflected by it.
 Always use pot holders or heat-insulated gloves to protect your hands from hot objects and
surfaces.
 Use an apron to protect your clothes.
 If your solar cooker has a lid, be careful when opening it, because steam can cause burns.
 Watch over your device while you are testing its efficiency to address any issues.
 Notify your teacher immediately if accidents happen.

Copyright © Edgenuity Inc.

 Student Guide (continued)

Materials

 Cardboard boxes or  Wooden barbecue skewers  Single hole puncher

pieces of cardboard
 Cooking thermometer  Clear tape
 Five pieces of black
 Three hot dogs  Pair of scissors
construction paper
 Timer  Box cutter
 A sheet of plastic
 250 g white school glue  Thermometer
 A roll of aluminum foil
 Colored pencils  Lab notebook
 Poster board
 Graph paper  Pencil
 Calculator

Copyright © Edgenuity Inc.

 Student Guide (continued)

Assignment Instructions
Step 1: Gather materials.

a) Collect the materials from your teacher. Put them on the table so you can see everything.

Step 2: Design your prototype.

a) Study your building materials and think about a design that would best warm a hot dog. Write
some basic ideas on the Student Worksheet under “Ideas for Prototype Design.”
b) There are four criteria to consider in your design:
1) The device needs to warm the hot dog while the hot dog is in suspension. The hot
dog cannot touch the bottom of the solar cooker or be placed in a pan.
2) The hot dog needs to be rotated while being cooked.
3) The device needs to include parts that will reflect or focus the Sun’s rays into the
cooking area.
4) The device needs to reach temperatures well above that of its surroundings.
c) Sketch at least three ideas on the Student Worksheet for a device that would efficiently warm
your hot dog.
d) On the Student Worksheet, consider the advantages and disadvantages of each device and
list them under each diagram.
e) Decide on the design you will use for the prototype.
1) Use your knowledge of thermal energy absorption and reflection in the evaluation of
each design.
2) Select a design that you can build within the time limit provided by your teacher.
3) Fill in the Student Worksheet to indicate which design you will use for your prototype
and explain your reasoning for selecting that particular design based on physics
principles.

Step 3: Build your prototype.

a) Use the materials provided by your teacher to construct the device. Write down any
modifications that you made to the basic design during the construction process on the
Student Worksheet.

Step 4: Test your prototype.

a) Make predictions about your device and record them on the Student Worksheet.
 Will your device warm the hot dog to a temperature of 165°F? How will your device do
this?
 Will your device efficiently warm the hot dog in 20 to 25 minutes? How will your device do
this?
 Will your device reach a temperature well above that of its surroundings?

Copyright © Edgenuity Inc.

 Student Guide (continued)

b) Take your device, hot dogs, the cooking thermometer, lab notebook, and pencil to the testing
area designated by your teacher. You will have up to three opportunities to test your device.
c) Record data for each trial and your observations on the Student Worksheet for later
evaluation of your design.
 Record the initial temperature of the outside air and the inside of your solar cooker. Place
these temperatures in the first table under “Observations and Data.”
 Using the meat thermometer, take the internal temperature of the hot dog. This initial
temperature recording occurs at 0 minutes. You will continue to take the internal
temperature of the hot dog every 2 minutes, placing the temperatures in the second data
table under “Observations and Data.” Continue to take the internal temperature until the
hot dog’s internal temperature reaches 165°F.
 After 165°F is reached, take the final temperature inside the solar cooker. Write this
information in the last column of the first table under “Observations and Data.”

d) Use your data from your three trials to create a graph of time versus internal temperature of the
hot dog. These graphs will provide evidence on the effectiveness, or lack thereof, for your device.
e) Calculate your solar cooker’s rate of heating. To calculate the rate of heating, divide the final
temperature (recorded in your observations) by the final minutes for each trial. Find the
average of the rate of heating by adding all three rates and dividing the sum by three.

Step 5: Evaluate your prototype’s design.

a) On the Student Worksheet in the “Evaluating Your Prototype” section, record what worked
well with your design.
b) Record which features can be improved upon under the “Evaluating Your Prototype” section.

Step 6: Analyze the top three designs.

a) Share your rate of heating with the other members in your class.
b) Ask the three lowest rates (most efficient) to share the sketch of their device and a short
summary of how they built their device.
c) Explore the similarities and differences of each device. Use this information in your final device
design.

Step 7: Propose a final design for the device.

a) Explain the design changes you will make on your cooker based on your analysis of your own
cooker and your classmates’ cookers. Give evidence for the changes you will make. Write
your explanation under the “Proposed Final Design” section of the Student Worksheet.
b) Draw a labeled diagram of your improved design in the same section.
 Base your improved design on your data and the analysis you made of the top three solar
cookers in the class.
 The final design can use the initial materials list or include materials not included in the first
design.
 This revised drawing should be part of your lab report’s conclusion.

Step 8: Write your lab report.

Copyright © Edgenuity Inc.

 Student Guide (continued)

a) Combine your data and observations to write your lab report.

b) Your lab report should contain:
 a title.
 three rough sketches showing your initial design ideas.
 the advantages and disadvantages of each design idea.
 the design idea you decided to build, and why you chose that design.
 a data table and observations from the experimental tests.
 a graph of your data from all three trials.
 your cooker’s rate of heating.
 a list of similarities and differences of the solar cookers from the class.
 at least one suggestion that would improve your device, and a reason why this change
would be an improvement.
 one labeled drawing of your final design.
 a written analysis of your final design, using evidence from your graph and the analysis of
the other solar cookers.

Step 9: Evaluate your lab report using this checklist.

If you can check below, you are ready to submit your lab report.

 Does your lab report include a title?

 Does your lab report include three rough sketches of your initial design ideas?
 Does your lab report include the advantages and disadvantages of each design idea?
 Does your lab report include an explanation of why you chose to build your initial design?
 Does your lab report include a completed data table and observations from the experimental
tests of your device?
 Does your lab report contain a graph of your data?
 Does your lab report include at least one suggestion of how to improve your device, and an
explanation and evidence of why this suggestion is an improvement?
 Does your lab report include one labeled drawing of your final design?
 Does your analysis use evidence from the other solar cookers in the class?

Step 10: Revise and submit your lab report.

a) If you were unable to check off all the requirements on the checklist, revise your final lab
report and save it before submitting.
b) When you have completed your lab report, return to the Virtual Classroom and use the
“Browse for file” option to locate and submit your assignment, or turn it in to your teacher, if
required. Congratulations! You have completed your engineering design challenge.

Copyright © Edgenuity Inc.

 Student Guide (continued)

Solar Cooker Student Worksheet

Use this worksheet to design your device and record your data. You can then use this form to help you
write your lab report.

Ideas for Prototype Design

Preliminary Sketches (attach separate paper, if needed)

Option A:

Advantages: Disadvantages:
● ●
● ●
● ●

Option B:

Copyright © Edgenuity Inc.

 Student Guide (continued)

Advantages: Disadvantages:
● ●
● ●
● ●

Option C:

Advantages: Disadvantages:
● ●
● ●
● ●

Which of the three designs will you move forward with? Explain your reasons for selecting this design.

Building the Prototype

What modifications, if any, did you make to the basic design during the construction process?

Predictions
Will your device warm the hot dog to a temperature of 165°F? How will your device do this?

Will your device efficiently warm the hot dog in 20 to 25 minutes? How will your device do this?
Copyright © Edgenuity Inc.
 Student Guide (continued)

Will your device reach a temperature well above that of its surroundings? How will your device do this?

Observations and Data

Record your observations and the results of the experimental tests of your solar cooker below.

Temperature of the Initial temperature inside Final temperature reached

Trial surroundings the solar cooker inside the solar cooker
(°F) (oF) (°F)
1
2
3

Use this table to record the internal temperature of the hot dog every 2 minutes. Use a separate sheet of
paper, if you need to add time to the data table.
Copyright © Edgenuity Inc.
 Student Guide (continued)

Time Temperature (°F)

(min) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3

Graph Your Data

Use your graph paper or a graphing program to graph time versus internal temperature of the hot dog.
Time will go on the x-axis while temperature will go on the y-axis. Make sure you title your graph and both
axes, including units. To indicate the different trials, use different colors and create a key to make the
graph readable.

Calculate the Rate of Heating

Copyright © Edgenuity Inc.

 Student Guide (continued)

To calculate the rate of heating, divide the final temperature of your solar cooker (recorded in your
observations) by the final minutes for each trial. Find the average of the rate of your solar cooker by
adding all three rates and dividing by three. You will be sharing this data with the class.

Final temperature reached

Final minute in trial Rate of heating
Trial inside the solar cooker
(min) (°F/min)
(°F)
1
2
3
Average rate of heating (°F/min)

Evaluating Your Prototype

What worked well?

Which features can be improved upon?

Analyzing Other Solar Cookers

Ask other students to share a picture of their solar cooker as well as a short summary about their design.
(Your oven could be in the top three of the ovens, in which case, you will have two other cookers to
analyze.)
What are the similarities and differences between the performing ovens? Make a T-chart to highlight the
similarities and differences.

Copyright © Edgenuity Inc.

 Student Guide (continued)

Proposed Final Design

What design changes will you make on your oven based on your analysis of your own cooker and the
other three cookers? Give evidence for the changes you will make.

Draw a well-labeled sketch of the final design.

Copyright © Edgenuity Inc.